The Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder have traded one of many foundational gamers from their 2025 NBA championship run in an effort to trim payroll and keep out of the dreaded second apron. The Thunder traded Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal that additionally sends former No. 1 total decide Zaccharie Risacher to the Dallas Mavericks, in line with ESPN insider Shams Charania. Right here’s the complete breakdown of the commerce:
Thunder purchase: Three future second-round picks
Hawks purchase: Lu Dort, Ryan Nembhard
Mavericks purchase: Zaccharie Risacher
The Thunder have reportedly saved $224 million in luxurious tax and payroll this season by buying and selling Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe. OKC is now below the second apron, and they’re buying a 2027 second rounder from the Chicago Bulls (through Dallas), a 2031 most favorable second rounder from the Hawks, and a 2032 most favorable from the Hawks within the deal, in line with Jake Fischer. Atlanta has added one other bulldog defender on the perimeter, and the Mavs are taking a flier on a failed No. 1 total decide.
Let’s grade this commerce from each aspect.
Hawks commerce grade for Lu Dort deal
Atlanta discovered some magic after buying and selling Trae Younger to the Washington Wizards in January of final season. The Hawks completed 28-15 after the commerce with the league’s No. 8 net-rating at +4.9, then proceeded to take two video games off the New York Knicks within the first-round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
In touchdown Dort, Atlanta provides one other bulldog perimeter defender to pair with fDyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Dort is on an expiring $18.2 million deal for the 2026-27 season, which suggests the Hawks keep a whole lot of cap flexibility forward of the subsequent summer season. The Hawks are positioned to have $40+ million in cap area subsequent season in line with Charania, they usually’re going to be very annoying to play in opposition to this 12 months with arguably the league’s hardest defensive trio on the perimeter.
It seems like Atlanta has quietly grow to be one of many best-run groups within the league since selling Onsi Saleh to steer govt. The Hawks added Kingston Flemings through the good Derik Queen commerce, re-signed C.J. McCollum to a wise one-year deal, and added Devin Carter and Aaron Wiggins in trades. Risacher was drafted by the outdated entrance workplace, and he clearly wasn’t a part of the Hawks’ long-term plans. Shifting off him now appears tremendous to me on condition that he was set to make $31.2 million over the subsequent two years. Atlanta is clearly loading up on protection round star ahead Jalen Johnson, they usually have the property to make an even bigger splash a 12 months from now.
Dort is so bodily defensively that he’s a borderline soiled participant, and that may be placing it charitably. The East has gotten a lot stronger this summer season, however nobody will need to play the Hawks this 12 months.
Thunder commerce grades for Lu Dort deal
Sam Presti at all times has a long-term imaginative and prescient in thoughts. He moved off Josh Giddey earlier than he was due for an extension, and added a important piece to a championship workforce in Alex Caruso within the course of. Now he’s dealing Dort to considerably trim OKC’s tax invoice, and probably open up an extension for Cason Wallace.
The Thunder had been at all times going to be very costly as soon as the extensions for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren all kicked in. Presti has accomplished nicely to navigate the second apron as a small market workforce by shifting off function gamers, changing them with cost-controlled draft picks, and including extra future property to probably make extra strikes sooner or later.
The Thunder had been the No. 1 workforce in our way-too-early energy rankings. To get again to being a championship workforce, OKC will want Williams and Holmgren to regain the shape they confirmed on the 2025 title run. In some ways, this workforce has outgrown Dort. Wallace seems like a extra dynamic two-way participant, and this additionally probably opens up extra alternatives for Wallace, Ajay Mitchell, Nikola Subject, and rookie Bennett Stirtz.
Presti isn’t good, it simply feels that manner generally. That is fairly good enterprise to maneuver off Dort, add some second-round picks, and keep flexibility going ahead.
Mavericks commerce grades for Zaccharie Risacher deal
Risacher was a reasonably stunning No. 1 total decide from the weak 2024 NBA Draft. I didn’t even have him as a top-10 prospect on my last board, although I shouldn’t precisely be taking a victory lap on that one on condition that I had loads of unhealthy calls on my board that 12 months. ESPN was pushing Risacher because the No. 1 total decide prospect that 12 months. New Mavericks common supervisor Mike Schmitz began his profession masking the draft for ESPN, so it isn’t too stunning that Schmitz noticed him as a doable reclamation venture.
Risacher was at all times a guess on a 3-and-D wing. Up to now, he hasn’t been too spectacular in both space. Risacher’s protection graded out within the twenty sixth percentile on EPM final season, and he’s a 36 p.c three-point shooter on 8.5 makes an attempt per 100 possessions for his profession. Risacher presents little or no shot-creation or playmaking. He’s not a plus rebounder for his place, both, and his scoring effectivity has been beneath league-average each years of his profession.
Nonetheless, he’s solely 21 years outdated, and may benefit from a change of surroundings. He might be a very good match subsequent to Cooper Flagg long-term if he really turns into efficient within the 3-and-D areas he’s alleged to be good at, and he’s already a reasonably strong transition participant who ought to run the ground nicely. I’ve by no means been an enormous fan of Risacher, however there’s an overview of a very good participant there, and the Mavs definitely purchased very low on him on this deal. Schmitz is aware of what he’s doing, and if he believes in Risacher’s long-term future, then it is a tremendous flier to take at minimal price.
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